Door-to-door sales are back in the news in Jacksonville, Fla. A
Fox affiliate in the area ran a report
recently, noting that a local resident recently was approached by
an unknown man and advised that his windshield needed to be replaced.

"He said this is a crack, you don't recognize it right now,
but this thing could grow and become a big mess," consumer
Rich Alexander is quoted as saying in the report.

No particular companies are named in the report and no specifics
are provided as to the details of Alexander's account.

The Fox affiliate is referring to this incident as an alleged scam,
reporting that this "fraud leaves many insurance companies
having to pay for stacks of fraudulent glass repair claims."

"According to (Matt) Carlucci (a local Brightway insurance
agent), in some cases the schemers will even use a device to break
the windshields themselves. He says, it's one reasons we're paying
more for car insurance," the report states.

Discussing the situation, Carlucci is also quoted as saying, "It
mostly started in South Florida where there is a bigger population
and moved up to Central Florida and now it's all over the state,
including here in Jacksonville. The only way they (insurance companies)
can make that money back is by raising their rates."

In the most recent report, though the insurance agent cited as
saying this type of alleged "fraud" is becoming more common
in the area, the Jacksonville field office of the Florida Division
of Insurance Fraud Offices, Bureaus and Units, reports otherwise
to glassBYTEs.com.

"There was a claim two or three years ago, but we have seen
anything in recent years," says Pat Dove of the Jacksonville
field office. "I'm not at liberty to discuss specific cases."